


AND NOW AFTER THESE WORDS FROM OUR SPONSOR...

by lila_luscious1, Patty_Parker60



Series: JUSTICE FOR ALL [1]
Category: All Rise (TV 2019), Grey's Anatomy, Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Alcohol as an escape, Bob Corson is the DOUCHIEST DOUCHE of KINGDOM DOUCHE, Concerned Ripley, Everyone Copes Differently, F/F, F/M, FFWB-FIRE FIGHTING WHILE BLACK, Friendship, Indignant Vic, M/M, Marina-freeform, Police Brutality, RESCUING WHILE BLACK, SURRERA-free-form, Social Justice, Tearful Andy, Trauma, Unconcious Bias, VICLEY-freeform, Worried Andy, sfd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-23 10:47:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30054267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lila_luscious1/pseuds/lila_luscious1, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Patty_Parker60/pseuds/Patty_Parker60
Summary: I'm not actually surprised that a very much loved character was taken from us: after all this isshondaland/vernoff world where any bullshit reason to disappoint the viewers is a GOOD reason.We support these shows with all of their MANY FAULTS and our reward is the loss of  RIPLEY, DERRICK,ARIZONA, CALLIE, and now and now BABY DeLUCA. I'm just waiting for them to ruin SURRERA,AMELIA and LINK, and maybe even MIRANDA and BEN.
Relationships: Andrea "Andy" Herrera/Robert Sullivan, Maya Bishop/Carina DeLuca, Victoria Hughes/Lucas Ripley
Series: JUSTICE FOR ALL [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211003
Comments: 27
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [julrenda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/julrenda/gifts), [LeesyLovesBathenaAndVicley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeesyLovesBathenaAndVicley/gifts), [legallyblindandrea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/legallyblindandrea/gifts), [Gasnina](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gasnina/gifts), [beckysue_bonner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beckysue_bonner/gifts), [joli_camarillo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/joli_camarillo/gifts), [da_black_widow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/da_black_widow/gifts), [dwalk1_2002](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwalk1_2002/gifts), [Missthang616](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missthang616/gifts), [l_ss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_ss/gifts), [Bacner](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bacner/gifts), [The_Unseen_MrStanton](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Unseen_MrStanton/gifts), [lovevicley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovevicley/gifts), [emilylukns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/emilylukns/gifts), [The_Bisexual_From_Hell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Bisexual_From_Hell/gifts), [wafci62](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wafci62/gifts), [sanmartro](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanmartro/gifts), [AmayaBlack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmayaBlack/gifts), [bichita_36e](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bichita_36e/gifts), [janiecarr_38](https://archiveofourown.org/users/janiecarr_38/gifts), [kellicohn23](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kellicohn23/gifts), [beccab1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beccab1/gifts), [lulu_gee1](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lulu_gee1/gifts), [lp_pinetti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lp_pinetti/gifts), [beybakker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beybakker/gifts).



Andy has an epiphany about the realities of her marriage to a Black Man and what that means societally. She's WORRIED: BIG TIME  
for her husband after seeing weapons pointed at him by men and women of the SPD who she so admired once...

She gets a MASSIVE RANT off of her chest, pacing to and fro in front of Bishop and Hughes before she stomps into Marina's kitchen (formerly HER'S), and  
uncaps a beer, swallowing half before glaring at the two, as if daring them to contradict her. 

Wide-eyed, Vic turned to Maya and exclaims "Waiiit...SULLIVAN'S _BLACK_!??"

"I'm as confused as you", Maya replies mournfully. "I...I'm stunned"...

"Fuck ya, and fuck ya", Andy growls back. "OF COURSE I'm aware that he's Black; it's just that I never considered his race _in THAT way_...not in the way  
that he may be shot while defending ME or even other people, like those girls and their mothers......that he's just a thug prowling the streets for victims when he's not in  
uniform. He showed his ID to those ICE pricks when we went to talk to my dad about us...even THEY put their hands on their weapons when he approached them. I want  
his children more than anything, but I'm terrified that our son may be considered a threat just by driving down the street or our daughter won't be believed if she reports a  
crime." After a deep, shuddering breath, she murmurs "Yesterday changed the way that I view SPD."

"I'm sorry that I didn't do more, didn't act sooner...I insisted on waiting for police, and those poor teenager's blood would have been on MY hands" says a mournful  
Maya. "How do I, as a white woman, change the way that I process the injustices that I see? I can only view them through a prism of a white woman who has been educated  
that the police are the 'good guys'-that if you run from them you must have something to hide?"

"LISTEN", Vic suggested. "UNDERSTAND that many people of color run from the police because they'll likely get shot or mistreated whether they comply or flee. MY  
GRANDPA, who is white, said this about the Rodney King incident: 'Why was he running, though?' Why couldn't he comprehend that running from police doesn't  
warrant beating someone's ass until they almost DIE?! The police are charged with arresting any lawbreakers, NOT deciding the sentence for whatever crime they are  
supposed to have committed."

"I see that...Miller was right: I discounted his concerns with no regard for what he, and YOU, and even YOU, Andy go through as non-Caucasians probably every day.  
Like the prick from 23 who called you 'Mamcita' when you were acting Captain at that tractor-trailer scene. I figured that that was an isolated incident, which I'm betting  
now was more the norm?"

Andy nods. "As WOMEN we catch shit all the time; but ...what gets ME, which almost BROKE ME is when I was bandaging Bobby's burn earlier he said that he's had  
weapons pointed at him many times in his life...aa-and he-he didn't mean in the _war_ : he m-meant HERE, in his hometown...and he said it so matter-of-factly  
that it nearly did me in. I love him more today than I did yesterday, and for those few seconds...when the guns came out"...

She breaks down, and all of the women cry together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's foul language in this chapter and possible triggers for those who may have had similar  
> experiences. And I'm fully aware that ALL POLICE are not racist or corrupt, but many ARE.  
> Episode 5 (current season) showed just a tiny, tiny bit of what POC see daily, multiple times in a  
> day. Chief Ripley lets members of Station 19 know that he and the department stand with them.

"...it's exhausting." Robert Sullivan to his wife Andrea Herrera.

///

Ben Warren related his experience with being stopped years before by a Seattle patrol unit, well before he joined SFD...he doesn't sugar-coat the blatant  
disregard for his dignity: the lack of respect the officer displayed. "This was no rookie or 'Probie’ finding his way, Chief: Some of this began with his T.O.; it had  
to have. The rest I don't know, but I do know that what happened yesterday will happen again-GUARANTEED-unless something is done."

"What can I do, Ben?", Lucas asked sincerely. "I can say how sorry I am that that happened, which I'm sure is cold comfort; I can say that it shouldn't have gone down  
the way that it did, which we also are keenly aware of...one of the many worries I have about my wife is how she's viewed every time she walks out our door. The Saettle  
Fire uniform affords her some protection, as it does all POC, but is that enough?"

///

"Commissioner; if I may: I haven't once accused your entire department of corruption or suppression of civil rights, though clearly there are systemic problems with  
the way some officers view their role in policing our city. ..NOT AT ALL, Commissioner-I have in front of me written statements of those SFD on the scene and the  
narrative is consistent; the first officers on scene dismissed the kidnap victims mother's concerns, and even after those concerns were borne out some questionable use  
of force occurred...YES; I'm VERY CONCERNED about weapons being drawn on my Firefighters after THEY were provoked, based on the video and written testimony...  
that's fine, except my wife was there...very well; I'll take this matter to the Mayor and Council. Goodbye." He considers a moment, then goes in search of Dean Miller.

///

"How ya doin', Miller?" The young first responder is busily polishing the brass on the staircase. His response is to meet the Chief's eyes briefly and shrug his boulder-like  
shoulders.

"When you're ready, I'd like to schedule a time for you, Sullivan, and our other team members of color to address yesterday's events. It's a big department, and not  
everyone gets that systemic racism supremely damages our brothers and sisters who have to deal with this crap day in and day out. I don't have platitudes, and I don't  
have solutions except to listen to our SFD family members and try to keep learning; to call out racist statements and actions where I find them. I'm doing what I can  
to hold SPD accountable: I ask that you and Sullivan, Hughes and Herrera, Warren, and all of the rest of our family help me keep our DEPARTMENT accountable."

"I appreciate that Chief."

"I appreciate that YOU and Sullivan have maintained the professionalism and discipline I fully expected that you would, although I could not blame you if you were to  
'go off' after spending the night behind bars for something that didn't have to be." The men bump fists, and Miller says that he last saw Sullivan in the vehicle bay with  
Andy in answer to his Chief's query.

///

"Chief's lookin' for you, Sul" Finch says as the big man passed the front desk.

Sullivan thanks him and heads upstairs to Ripley's office. His friend already has a cup of his favorite coffee brew waiting for him.

At last Lucas says "There's no way that I can understand how you, and Warren, and Miller, or VIC feel about what happened. I can try to empathize and listen, and  
educate myself and the department that racism is an epidemic that has to be eradicated, or we won't survive as a NATION, much less a department or a city. I can  
be a sounding board and a boxing partner, and a friend For you to vent to."

“That's all that I can ask", Sully says with a smile of appreciation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by ALL RISE (Season 2, Episode 10-Georgia) Professor GEORGIA KNIGHT, and expert  
> in Unconcious Bias (specifically, as it applies to the law) accepts a consultancy offered by Lucas Ripley  
> to assist members of SFD from the 'top-down' in what they can do to understand, recognize, and address  
> UB. Jack (specifically in this chapter) wrestles with how to approach Miller, and Carina assists her GF in  
> sorting through her conflicting feelings about her actions that day...the fall-out continues...

Amy Acker as Professor Georgia Knight, a graduate of Stanford University and an expert in the effects of eyewitnesse's perceptions and how those  
perceptions (and unconscious bias) can be problematic.

///

HE doesn't feel like that. Neither does MONTGOMERY, CUTLER, or FINCH...and definitely not THE CHEIF...and frankly Gibson doesn't see the reason  
for this mandatory ' _Unconcious Bias_ seminar, hosted by Professor Georgia Peterson and SFD's own Dr. Diane Lewis:

"Hello, everyone, and thank you for attending. I'm aware that the nature of your job means that we may be interrupted at any moment, and so I'll go ahead and begin:  
research confirms that everyone has unconscious or implicit biases – it’s the way the human brain processes and categorizes vast amounts of information. Unchecked,  
unconscious biases can lead to unfair or discriminatory behavior with negative consequences. As part of a multipronged approach to improving diversity and inclusion,  
unconscious bias training can help individuals recognize and manage their own biases and create a more inclusive workplace.

Those of you in the Seattle Fire family who are not people of color are likely struggling with how to express how badly you feel about what your family members have  
experienced with local law enforcement. Dr. Lewis has a few words on that subject. Dr. Lewis?"

"Thank you, Professor, and welcome everyone. I don't recommend saying any variation of the phrase 'I get it', or 'I know how you feel' unless you have walked in a  
person of color's shoes. Because you don't get it, and you have no idea how that person feels. THEY may not even know completely what they feel, and how to cope  
with those feelings. I myself have stopped counting the number of times that _I personally_ have been stopped or questioned about why I was where I happened  
to be at the time. And it would infuriate me when well-meaning friends or acquaintances would say how sorry that they were that I'd been profiled and to just remember that  
'all police aren't like that' or my favorite : 'they're just doing their job'. What your team members-sorry, YOUR FAMILY-needs more than anything is that you allow them to  
process events according to their own schedule and that when they ARE READY to listen-REALLY LISTEN-to what they say. Be open to educating yourself as much as you  
are able about the history of social injustice. BE EMPATHIC without condescending. And accept that it's not too late to learn."

At the lunch break, Jack decides to check on 'his boy' Dean Miller, only to check-in. "Haven't lost your appetite!" he jokes, nodding to the heaping plate of food in front of  
his sizeable best friend. 

Miller grinned. "I'm a big man!"

"Look...the last thing I want to push you, or impose-make any 'o this about ME...I'm here when you need, and I will listen, and I will learn. Just don't forget to CRY-remember  
your own advice...if you need to."

The smile on handsome Jack's bearded face mirrored itself on Dean's dark visage. "Thanks, Brother...advice from Pops?"

"Ha!" Jack confirms.

///

Once the seminar resumes, Professor Knight continues: "For managers, supervisors, and leadership unconscious bias training is one of the positive steps organizations can  
take to manage hidden biases and reduce their negative effects on workplace decisions and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Some common examples of workplace bias  
are believing that male firefighters are better at physical work, assuming individuals have a particular skill because of their race or judging an applicant because of their last  
name or the college they attended. Future seminars, if Chief Ripley deems necessary will address the three core 'pieces' of Understanding, Recognizing, and Addressing  
unconscious bias. We'll be available for the next two hours in the first-floor conference room for questions. Thank you, and I hope to see all of you again soon."

Professor Knight and Dr. Lewis exit to long and very vigorous applause. Setting up in the conference room, she gets a call from Lisa Benner, Supervising Judge of Los  
Angeles Superior Court:: "Hey you..."

///

Over dinner (prepared by Maya, who is becoming quite the accomplished chef in the last five months) Carina asks about how Sullivan, Miller, Vic, and the other FF  
involved in the police action are doing

"According to Andy, Sullivan has been drunk the past two days. She's encouraging him to see Dr. Lewis, which I hope that he does. He and I haven't talked about it,  
Miller is still stand-offish and a little cold since the incident: he's not happy with how I handled the scene and the aftermath, which he's one thousand percent right about, by  
the way. ..as you've noticed Vic is struggling as well. I don't what to do."

Carina strokes the back of her hand, reaching across the dinner table. "And Professor KNight's seminar did not help, or offer a sight in?"

Maya smiled but didn't offer a correction to her finacee's phrasing. "It did help some. I'm told that years ago that seminar would have been roundly jeered by the fire  
department leadership as a waste of time and more liberal bullshit. , which illustrates even more clearly how Chief Ripley has re-shaped the department for the better."

Carina interjects: "I overheard _Warren_ say that your decision and actions-to wait for police at the scene, and to _these are HIS WORDS_ : 'not  
stand up for your team' when they finally DID arrive was less than...preferable for Ben, Miller, and Victoria. In their eyes you should have believed them: trusted their  
instincts because 'the book' nearly ended in disaster. Did...have you uncovered any unconscious bias based on today's seminar?"

Maya admits "I...yeah...I know that I'm not racist: I don't see their...their COLOR..."

"That is one of the complaints people of color have: Maggie once told me 'I and people like me don't want others to be _colorblind_ : if you don't see my color-  
MY RACE-then you don't see ME.' I have never thought about it that way."

"Ohhh...SNAP! I kinda see that...that makes sense."

Carina stands and still holding Maya's hand brings her to HER feet. "Come; let's go to bed...there is something else I want to take to you about, and the FBI expects  
Andrea and I tomorrow for our statements about the woman they believe to be _il trafficante di stronzi di merda bassa vita_ -the shitting low-life asshole  
trafficker conspirator."

As they undress, Maya snarked " MY or YOUR ?"

Carina tugs the blonde toward her, and sultry chuckle and a kiss later, she whispered "They are BOTH OURS I mean Baby Boy though."

Carina thumbs her nipples, and Maya gasps " Baby ? He's thirty...AHHH!...-ish..."

"QUIET, Baby".


End file.
